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In this article, we have collected important information about money in Bali for you.
Money in Bali
In this article, we have compiled important information for you about money in Bali: the Indonesian currency, currency exchange and our tips for exchanging money, using your bank card and tipping.
Local currency
The country's currency is the Indonesian rupiah (IDR), which is preferred in many restaurants and shops. There are banknotes in circulation in denominations of 1.000, 5.000, 10.000, 50.000 and 100.000. Coins 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500, and 1.000. The import and export of foreign currency is not limited, but rupees are limited, no more than 100 million. Although no one will refuse US dollars, it’s true that they can change at an unfavorable rate for you, so it’s always better to have local currency with you.
Local currency
The country's currency is the Indonesian rupiah (IDR), which is preferred in many restaurants and shops. There are banknotes in circulation in denominations of 1.000, 5.000, 10.000, 50.000 and 100.000. Coins 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500, and 1.000. The import and export of foreign currency is not limited, but rupees are limited, no more than 100 million. Although no one will refuse US dollars, it’s true that they can change at an unfavorable rate for you, so it’s always better to have local currency with you.
Currency exchange
There are no problems with currency exchange on the island. The most important thing that you will need is to have a passport with you, remember the name of the hotel where you are staying.
What currency to take with you to Bali? - It is best to bring US dollars with you. Many tourists arrive here with rubles and Ukrainian hryvnias and face the problem of currency exchange. You can exchange this money, but not everywhere and not at the best rate, they will add a commission. And most of the time for the worst. It is also important to remember that, as in most Asian countries, only US dollars issued after 2003 are accepted.
Foreign currency can be exchanged at an exchange office, bank or hotel. The only difference is that in hotels the course is always a little underestimated, as in airports. If you arrived at night and need cash, exchange a small amount.
There are no problems with currency exchange on the island. The most important thing that you will need is to have a passport with you, remember the name of the hotel where you are staying.
What currency to take with you to Bali? - It is best to bring US dollars with you. Many tourists arrive here with rubles and Ukrainian hryvnias and face the problem of currency exchange. You can exchange this money, but not everywhere and not at the best rate, they will add a commission. And most of the time for the worst. It is also important to remember that, as in most Asian countries, only US dollars issued after 2003 are accepted.
Foreign currency can be exchanged at an exchange office, bank or hotel. The only difference is that in hotels the course is always a little underestimated, as in airports. If you arrived at night and need cash, exchange a small amount.
We will also give a number of tips for safe currency exchange:
• Avoid changing money at hidden money changers (eg at the end of the street or in the corner behind a shop) because you risk running out of money. Change currency only at authorized exchange offices and banks. You can distinguish them very simply, it is the presence of a room with a door, a guard and an air conditioner in the room.
• Don't chase a high course. In Bali, most exchange offices adhere to one exchange rate. The difference between them is usually not significant. But very often you can find small exchange offices on the streets and in the gateways with a clearly overpriced exchange rate. This is done on purpose to attract naive tourists and deceive them. The scheme of deception at first glance is very simple. You will be given money in small denominations and deceived on recalculation. They do it masterfully. Even we who live here and understand all the subtleties of this art sometimes remain guessing how they succeed. From our experience, there are a number of tourists who know this deception and still go to test themselves in this roulette. In the end, the result is always the same. No matter how attentive and vigilant they are. Therefore, our advice is not to spoil your rest and nerves and use a good exchange office.
• Avoid changing money on weekends and Indonesian national holidays. The exchange rate is less interesting as money changers take precautions not to lose money, as the official rate is not available to everyone while the banks are closed.
• Avoid changing money at hidden money changers (eg at the end of the street or in the corner behind a shop) because you risk running out of money. Change currency only at authorized exchange offices and banks. You can distinguish them very simply, it is the presence of a room with a door, a guard and an air conditioner in the room.
• Don't chase a high course. In Bali, most exchange offices adhere to one exchange rate. The difference between them is usually not significant. But very often you can find small exchange offices on the streets and in the gateways with a clearly overpriced exchange rate. This is done on purpose to attract naive tourists and deceive them. The scheme of deception at first glance is very simple. You will be given money in small denominations and deceived on recalculation. They do it masterfully. Even we who live here and understand all the subtleties of this art sometimes remain guessing how they succeed. From our experience, there are a number of tourists who know this deception and still go to test themselves in this roulette. In the end, the result is always the same. No matter how attentive and vigilant they are. Therefore, our advice is not to spoil your rest and nerves and use a good exchange office.
• Avoid changing money on weekends and Indonesian national holidays. The exchange rate is less interesting as money changers take precautions not to lose money, as the official rate is not available to everyone while the banks are closed.
bank card
A week before departure, inform your bank about your trip to Bali, indicating the dates of the trip, so that the filters are removed. Many banks do block bank cards when their use is considered risky in certain countries to limit the possibility of fraudulent activity and save your money. It would be a shame to waste time trying to contact your bank from Bali in order to be able to use your card, and even with a time difference!
You can withdraw money from a bank card using one of the many ATMs available in all Bali tourist spots. However, we want to warn you! In many Asian countries, and recently it is becoming more common in Europe, scammers have begun to install skimmers on street ATMs. These are hidden devices aimed at obtaining your personal data about a bank card in order to further gain access to your funds. There are two safest ways to avoid this:
• Don't keep all your money on the card. It is best to keep the bulk of the money in the account and transfer only the necessary amounts to the card for withdrawal. Nowadays, having an application of your bank on each phone, and in almost any cafe or hotel access to the Internet, you can easily carry out the operation. Don't be lazy and you won't be deceived.
• Before the trip, get a "garbage dump" card. This means getting a card to which you will also transfer only the necessary part of the funds for withdrawal.
In both cases, upon returning home, these cards must be replaced. It often happened that scammers withdrew all the funds from the card after six months or even more than a year.
A week before departure, inform your bank about your trip to Bali, indicating the dates of the trip, so that the filters are removed. Many banks do block bank cards when their use is considered risky in certain countries to limit the possibility of fraudulent activity and save your money. It would be a shame to waste time trying to contact your bank from Bali in order to be able to use your card, and even with a time difference!
You can withdraw money from a bank card using one of the many ATMs available in all Bali tourist spots. However, we want to warn you! In many Asian countries, and recently it is becoming more common in Europe, scammers have begun to install skimmers on street ATMs. These are hidden devices aimed at obtaining your personal data about a bank card in order to further gain access to your funds. There are two safest ways to avoid this:
• Don't keep all your money on the card. It is best to keep the bulk of the money in the account and transfer only the necessary amounts to the card for withdrawal. Nowadays, having an application of your bank on each phone, and in almost any cafe or hotel access to the Internet, you can easily carry out the operation. Don't be lazy and you won't be deceived.
• Before the trip, get a "garbage dump" card. This means getting a card to which you will also transfer only the necessary part of the funds for withdrawal.
In both cases, upon returning home, these cards must be replaced. It often happened that scammers withdrew all the funds from the card after six months or even more than a year.
Credit card
More and more restaurants and shops are now accepting credit cards - especially in tourist areas where they are gaining momentum. But don't rely on your credit card as you would in a Western country. Cash is in many cases the only acceptable payment method, it is better to play it safe and bring Indonesian rupees with you. Especially in remote areas, a credit card will be of little use to you.
Visa and MasterCard are the most popular credit cards in Bali. Some hotels and restaurants accept Amex, Diners Club even less.
Keep in mind that very often there will be fees ranging from 3% to sometimes even 5% on credit card transactions. This is because the credit card companies keep this percentage for themselves and the suppliers in Bali will charge this fee back from their customer.
More and more restaurants and shops are now accepting credit cards - especially in tourist areas where they are gaining momentum. But don't rely on your credit card as you would in a Western country. Cash is in many cases the only acceptable payment method, it is better to play it safe and bring Indonesian rupees with you. Especially in remote areas, a credit card will be of little use to you.
Visa and MasterCard are the most popular credit cards in Bali. Some hotels and restaurants accept Amex, Diners Club even less.
Keep in mind that very often there will be fees ranging from 3% to sometimes even 5% on credit card transactions. This is because the credit card companies keep this percentage for themselves and the suppliers in Bali will charge this fee back from their customer.